Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) Raised to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on STZ. Roth Mkm reduced their price objective on Constellation Brands from $284.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $289.00 to $233.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $207.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Constellation Brands has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $225.74.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.5%

STZ stock opened at $184.70 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $184.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $198.16. Constellation Brands has a 12 month low of $160.46 and a 12 month high of $265.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.88 billion, a PE ratio of 49.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. Constellation Brands’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.26 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Constellation Brands will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th were issued a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 29th. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -800.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Samuel J. Glaetzer sold 3,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.54, for a total value of $593,901.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,126 shares in the company, valued at $589,376.04. This trade represents a 50.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Constellation Brands

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mattson Financial Services LLC grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 34.8% during the first quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC now owns 4,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $857,000 after buying an additional 1,205 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 813 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 33,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,218,000 after purchasing an additional 1,533 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 1,785.9% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 59,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,909,000 after purchasing an additional 56,291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands in the first quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Company Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces, imports, markets, and sells beer, wine, and spirits in the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. The company provides beer primarily under the Corona Extra, Corona Familiar, Corona Hard Seltzer, Corona Light, Corona Non-Alcoholic, Corona Premier, Corona Refresca, Modelo Especial, Modelo Chelada, Modelo Negra, Modelo Oro, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.